


Retired

by siren_of_the_ocean



Series: Tim Drake AU's [25]
Category: Batman - All Media Types, Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker
Genre: BAMF Tim Drake, Bart Allen (mentioned) - Freeform, Gen, Interdimensional Travel, Movie: Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker, Multiverse Travel, POV Tim Drake, Retired Tim Drake, Tim Drake Needs a Hug, Tim Drake is Joker Jr., Tim Drake-centric, Universe Travel, it's implied - Freeform, kind of
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-21
Updated: 2021-01-21
Packaged: 2021-03-12 23:07:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,845
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28893378
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/siren_of_the_ocean/pseuds/siren_of_the_ocean
Summary: Tim is not in the mood to deal with this shit. He just woke up, hasn’t had coffee and one of these people are blocking his meds. Because of course they are. That’s just Tim’s luck, isn’t it?“What happens when you put a Robin, a Joker, a Harlequin and an electro-therapy machine in a secluded asylum for weeks?”
Relationships: Bart Allen & Tim Drake, Tim Drake & Kon-El | Conner Kent
Series: Tim Drake AU's [25]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1853161
Comments: 12
Kudos: 191





	Retired

**Author's Note:**

> This is a rambling, somewhat hasty write down of an idea I had before bed. Because what if?

Tim is not in the mood to deal with this shit. He just woke up, hasn’t had coffee and one of these people are blocking his meds. Because of course they are. That’s just Tim’s luck, isn’t it?   
But these people are here now anyway.   
For now. 

“Get out” Tim says decidedly, standing by his bed and locking eyes with Superman, but not the Superman Tim is used to. No. This Superman doesn’t look at Tim with pity brimming in his eyes. This Superman just looks confused.   
“Wait. Tim, please” Dick–Nightwing- Whoever starts to plead but Tim just holds up a hand and glares at him until he falls silent, looking stricken.   
“Look. I get it. Multiverse travel is never fun. And you guys want to go home. But that’s the league’s job. Go find them” Tim says, eye twitching at the headache growing between his eyes. It draws the attention of the room, everyone looking on in worry as if Tim doesn’t get headaches. Doesn’t feel pain. Well isn’t that just typical? 

Tim ignores their worried, inquiring stares as he pushes straight through the group to his dresser, laying out his medication and counting each one out as per habit.   
Blue one  
Red one  
Red and white one  
And a Panado for his headache. 

They all go down with one swig of water. 

“You OK?” a voice asks from behind him, sincere. And Tim actually does turn because he knows that voice. And Kon is probably the only person Tim wants to see in this room. Well. And Bart. But who doesn’t want to see Bart?  
“Fine. A bit late on my meds but it’ll be fine. Anyway. You can leave now. You know where to find the Justice league” Tim says, eyes skipping away from Kon’s because while he isn’t fond of being mean to Kon, he just does not want to deal with these people.   
Not today.   
Probably not ever. 

“What? Not gonna offer us any hospitality, Replacement?” Jason’s voice asks from the back and Tim doesn’t stop the way his lips curl back in a snarl. He doesn’t hesitate to spit out the venom he feels brewing behind his lips “No, I don’t do the hospitality thing anymore. Now, Get. Out”. He even makes it a point to show them to the door, trying to hide the fine tremors in his hand.   
He isn’t scared. He isn’t nervous. What he is, is angry.   
“Tim” Bruce’s voice says hesitantly before Tim cuts him off loudly “I am retired. You can leave and find someone else, in the line of duty. Now leave me to my peace”. His voice slowly dissipates from loud declaration to wary hesitance as he speaks, dropping back down to his bed and laying on his back in hopes that they’ll take his advice and leave the room. Leave the apartment. Tim does not have the energy to throw them out. 

They, of course, do not leave. Instead, they hover around him, shapes swirling behind Tim’s closed eyes as they shuffle and mutter.   
Jason starts laughing at something someone said and it sounds unhinged, deranged.   
Tim is sitting up and holding his bo before anyone can say anything more. He fights down the stuttered breathing and the bubbling laughter in his throat by clenching down on his teeth and flicking his bo to extend right at Jason’s throat. Just long enough to touch. 

“Shut up and leave” Tim says again. But this time, Tim isn’t asking, nor is he pleading. His voice holds the promise of pain if his orders aren’t followed. And he makes sure they understand that by looking Bruce and Clark in the eye, letting them see that he is serious. That if they don’t leave, Tim will not hold back anymore.   
“Wait. Please” Kon’s voice rings out again, making Tim falter in his stare with Bruce, glancing away for the barest second just to make sure that Kon is there, that he’s alright.   
“What?” Tim asks, trying and failing to make it sound threatening.   
“Please. Just. Let us stay for a bit? I promise we’ll be good guests” Kon asks, pleading. And Tim has always been soft for him and Bart, so he lowers the staff from Jason’s throat with a last warning glare. But he doesn’t stand. 

“I’ll give you a few minutes to patch up your injuries and figure out a plan. And then, you leave. Or, I kick you out. Got it?” Tim says, not looking at anyone but Kon as his eyes involuntarily soften at the sight of his best friend. The friend Tim hadn’t seen since…  
“Got it” Kon says back, smiling slightly at Tim as he says it. 

Tim just lays back down, laying his staff across his chest and slowing his breaths. Tuning out the mutters of questions and inquiries and interrogation. 

They want to know why Tim is like this, why he’s so hostile to everyone but Kon, why his security looks more designed to keep someone in than out. Why he’s chasing them away.   
Tim can’t tell them any of that. He just can’t. 

But when Kon’s voice asks, lowly, if they even have a right to any of that information and Jason’s voice says that it could affect their own Tim, Tim flinches.   
Their Tim is alive? Their Tim is still a vigilante? Hasn’t gone through this yet?   
Their Tim is still whole?

“How old is Tim back in your world?” the question comes from Tim, even if he doesn’t open his eyes to look at them.   
“He’s 17” Kon answers immediately, sounding shocked that Tim is talking to them at all. But then, does Tim have the right to condemn any person, any version of himself to the hell he went through?   
“Is he still Robin?”  
“No, he’s going by Red Robin at this point”   
“Has Joker gotten him yet?” Tim asks finally, getting to the only question that matters. And the room falls quiet. 

“Joker?” Jason asks, voice hoarse with something Tim can’t quite identify but is most likely rage. He can hear the shuffling sound that usually corresponds with someone holding back a violent Jason but Tim doesn’t look up.   
“Joker. Has Joker held your Tim captive yet?” he asks clearly, trying to push away the visions of green hair and white skin, the memory of a lullaby swirling around his head as he struggled. “-little birdy don’t say a word, mama’s gonna buy you a mockingbird-“ before he shakes his head to clear it, taking a deep breath to remember where he is. 

There’s a hesitation, a silence before Bruce responds “We’ve all been held captive by the Joker before. But I have the feeling you mean something distinctive”. He sounds hesitant, wary of any answer Tim might give him and Tim scoffs. 

“Distinctive”

“Maybe if you gave us more detail, we could narrow it down some” Dick suggests, trying to put up a veneer of cheer, but Tim can hear the undercurrent of worry in his voice. Worry for his own Tim.   
Tim sits up with a sigh, weary as he meets Kon’s eyes and only Kon’s.   
“What happens when you put a Robin, a Joker, a Harlequin and an electrotherapy machine in a secluded asylum for weeks?” Tim asks with a self-deprecating smile, huffing a shallow laugh at the expressions of shock and horror on their faces. 

“You get a brainwashed Robin, a dead Harley and a dead Joker. And you get a few bonus upgrades for free like Pseudobulbar affect, childhood PTSD and the sudden, overwhelming urge to not be a costumed vigilante anymore. Even if I could be” Tim explains, a small smile on his lips as he takes in the worry in Kon’s expression.   
“You killed Joker?” Bruce asks, predictably focusing on the death of the maniac instead of the emotions he feels about Tim.   
“I killed Joker” Tim confirms, turning to face Bruce fully “And I don’t regret it. In fact, I’d probably do it again” he says, making sure Bruce understands him. Because Tim does not regret killing him. He might still have nightmares about the red stained suit and the pole sticking out of white flesh. But Tim doesn’t regret it. And that’s alright. 

“You. You killed the Joker?” Jason asks again in Bruce’s silence and Tim huffs “Yes, Jason. I killed the Joker after he held me captive for 3 weeks, electrocuted me multiple times, erased my memories and tried to turn me against my family” Tim says blandly, lips curling at the slight flinch Jason gives.   
Because they don’t understand. They don’t. Tim can feel happy that his tormentor is dead. Can feel safe now that Joker isn’t going to come after him again. He’s talked this over extensively with his therapist, after all. 

“Moving on. You retired after that?” Kon asks, brushing the issue of Tim taking a life aside easily. Because he understands. Not entirely but enough to know that Tim is alright. “Yeah, don’t really have the memories of Before back. So I decided to stay away from the hero business. And the random laughter would also Not Help on a stealth mission. But it’s alright. I’m actually pretty happy now. I have an apartment, a garden, I have a job doing photography around the world. I’m…pretty happy where I am” Tim says slowly, a smile on his lips as he explains to Kon.   
“You don’t remember?” Clark asks from behind Kon and Tim can see the pity in his eyes now. The same pity Tim can see in his own counterpart’s eyes every time he sees him.   
It’s one of the reasons Tim retired. He just could not deal with the pity and the glances and the wary way some people would look at him, like he’s evil. Like he wasn’t the victim. 

“No, I don’t” Tim says plainly, eyes blank as they meet his eyes. And that’s when they finally get the hint.   
Kon has visited Tim since the Joker was killed, had sat with Tim in silence. Had held Tim through laughing fits Tim could not control. Had Been There. And that’s all Tim needed. He needed silence not interrogation. Worry not wariness. Compassion not veiled threat analysis. And he only got that from 2 people. Kon and Bart.   
So he’d basically banned all other supers from his apartment. Designed his security to kick in when the supers get in, to remove them from the premises. Because he was sick of seeing pity and worry and wariness and accusation in people’s eyes. 

The entire group is silent as they file out the door, one by one until it’s just Tim and Kon, standing in a room alone and smiling at each other in understanding.  
“You’ll keep him safe?” Tim asks him, already knowing the answer. 

“I will” Kon answers anyway before he takes off as well, leaving Tim’s phone on the bed, open to a contact.   
Kon’s contact. His own Kon. 

“Hey Kon. You won’t guess what just happened to me” Tim starts.


End file.
